The female half is quiet and aloof, imposing even as she approaches a half-century of life.

The other is just a boy still, tiny with a twitchy nose and a propensity to hop around like young boys do.

Samantha and Panda.

The gorilla and the Dutch rabbit.

Erie Zoo officials introduced the two in mid-February after deciding that Samantha, a 47-year-old western lowland gorilla, ought to have a companion.

She's been without any other presence in her exhibit since Rudy, a male gorilla, died in 2005 at the age of 49. Those two never did interact much; Sam was hand-raised and relates more to humans than to other gorillas.

She's too old and fragile to be paired with another gorilla now, zoo officials said. But she needs the same thing any human does: a friend.

Panda is safe and small, no threat to the gorilla. He's something for her to watch and touch.

Reminds me of [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_%28gorilla%29"]Koko (gorilla) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame] the gorilla and her kitten, a while back. This story is made even more intriguing by Koko's alleged knowledge of 1,000 ASL signs, altho there is some controversy about her language understanding and usage. The part about her giving certain ASL signs when told that her kitten had died is really poignant.

One day a rabbit showed up in my father's backyard. He had no idea where it came from. He asked all the neighbors (including behind him) and no one claimed it... so he kept it.

The rabbit fell in love with my Pop's German Shorthair Retriever. He/she loved that dog. Every time Greta (the dog) came outside the rabbit would rush over to her and follow her around. If Greta laid in the sun, the rabbit was right next to her. Greta decided she'd keep the rabbit.

When Greta got old and had to be put down, bunny rabbit was heartbroken and didn't last long after. I like to think they're playing up in Heaven together.